Mentoring workshops offered for educators of gifted and talented

New and experienced gifted and talented educators will have an opportunity to learn new skills and practices at upcoming mentoring workshops in Augusta and Bangor sponsored by the Maine DOE.

The workshop will consist of two strands: a full-day strand for new educators and an advanced strand for experienced teachers and administrators in the afternoon only.

The new educator strand will consist of a question-and-answer workshop designed for teachers and administrators who have been working in the field of gifted and talented education for only one or two years, or for those in a newly restructured district. Teachers and administrators are encouraged to come with questions and to share resources. The workshop topics will include identification tools; curriculum options; organizing and managing G/T programs; evaluating program effectiveness; and reviewing the application and budget forms new this year. Patti Drapeau, educational consultant in gifted education for the Maine DOE, will be the facilitator for this strand. For more information, contact her at ptdrapeau@aol.com.

The advanced strand will be meeting concurrently with the new educator strand in the afternoon only. It will address particular questions, concerns and challenges that the participants bring to the workshop. The topics should be far-reaching given that experienced attendees will be coming from rural and urban communities, small and large schools, and new or established programs. Examples of topics include dual exceptionalities, K-2 programming, consultation and changing the focus of an established program. Lee Worcester, consultant in gifted education for the Maine DOE, will be the facilitator for this strand. For more information or to suggest a topic for discussion (by Sept. 14), contact her at lee.worcester@yahoo.com or 943-8804 by Sept. 14.

The one-day mentoring workshops will be held on Sept. 24 and 28, free of charge. The same information will be presented on both workshop days. Choose one of the following events: